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Friday, August 29, 2008, 07:00
She usually gets there by 5.30am to have a bit of breakfast before officially clocking on half an hour later to serve guests with theirs.
And her approach when doing so earned her a share of the Evening Post-sponsored Extra Mile award in the inaugural Swansea Bay Tourism Awards two years ago.
The countdown has now begun to the next round in November, when recognition will be given to people like Barbara and their high-performing businesses.
Barbara, aged 73, has been at the Dragon for the past 32 years and is still making a difference. She is known for her total dedication to the guests, who benefit from friendly, personal service.
She has worked in various positions, from chambermaid to bartender, and is still enjoying her current role as a breakfast server, despite threatening retirement for many a year.
Barbara admits to being taken aback by the award last year, adding: "If you like your job, you just get on with it. I enjoy doing it, and I like making people happy. I think that maybe I am a bit old school, and that is why I do it."
And she is still doing it, insisting she has not yet got around to retirement and has no problem getting up for work. When she was based in the kitchen, it was an even earlier start.
"I get an extra half hour lie-in now," she joked.
And the secret of her success?
"Guests come here to be looked after," says Barbara. "What I try to do is to give them the best service I can. I like to spoil them. I have got to know the regulars over the years. And I want to give them all a good start to the day."
Another inaugural winner alongside her was Mumbles Tourist Information Centre, which was set up in 1976 as a summer operation. It is managed by a small group of dedicated volunteers, while the day-to-day service is provided by resolute paid staff.
Mumbles attracts visitors from all over the world, and they get all the information they need at the centre, which moved into the redeveloped Methodist Church at the end of 2004 when it started opening throughout the year.
Whereas before it was dealing with 23,000 visitors a year, that figure has since broken the 60,000 mark.
The third joint winner of the Extra Mile Award was the South Wales Miners Museum. Set up at Afan Argoed Country Park in the Afan Valley in 1975, it is run by a 10-strong team of volunteers.
They host tours for schools and many other groups, with some team members giving up to 16 hours a week of their time.
"We were very chuffed to win," said vice- chairman Colin Day.
But it is not an organisation which rests on its laurels.
The museum has been closed since last October as its three demountable buildings are replaced by a permanent structure in a £250,000 renovation. It will begin receiving visitors again from the middle of next month.
"We want to keep bettering ourselves," said Mr Day. Set up in 1975, it is run by a team of dedicated volunteers who are totally committed to supporting the museum and its long-term maintenance for future generations.
That was then, and now the organisers of the second awards are inviting entries for this year, culminating in a glitzy awards ceremony at the city's Brangwyn Hall on November 20.
The full list of categories this time round will be available from Monday. But ahead of that, officials have revealed that one of the special ones will be the outstanding services to tourism award, sponsored by Swansea Council.
They are looking for an individual who has made an outstanding contribution by dedicating their time and energy to making a difference to the tourism and leisure industry in the Swansea Bay area, perhaps inspiring and leading others to create a more sustainable one.
A council spokesman says: "It recognises the important contribution people and businesses make to ensure that Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower remains a top UK visitor destination.
"This award will recognise those people or businesses that continue to strive to exceed customer expectations on a daily basis."
And event spokeswoman Cathy Lewis adds: "The Swansea Bay Tourism Awards celebrate the achievements of many world-class tourism and leisure businesses in the Swansea Bay area.
"They recognise excellent quality of service, hospitality, customer care and promoting local distinctiveness and Welsh identity.
"Entering the awards is an excellent opportunity for you to gain recognition for your hard work, making a clear statement that you are a quality business."
WEB LINK
Want to get involved? Entries, which close on October 3, are accepted from businesses or members of the public.
www.swanseabaytourismawards.co.uk
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